The present invention is related to methods and apparatus for sensing and determining the status of occupants in a vehicle prior to, during and/or after an accident or deployment of an airbag and transmitting data relating to the occupants to a remote facility such as an emergency response station.
The present invention also relates to methods and apparatus for diagnosing components in a vehicle and transmitting data relating to the diagnosis of the components in the vehicle and other information relating to the operating conditions of the vehicle.
It is now generally recognized that it is important to monitor the occupancy of a passenger compartment of a vehicle. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,782 (Breed et al.) describes a vehicle interior monitoring system that utilizes pattern recognition techniques and wave-receiving sensors to obtain information about the occupancy of the passenger compartment and uses this information to affect the operation of one or more systems in the vehicle, including an occupant restraint device, an entertainment system, a heating and air-conditioning system, a vehicle communication system, a distress notification system, a light filtering system and a security system.
Of particular interest, Breed et al. mentions that the presence of a child in a rear facing child seat placed on the right front passenger seat may be detected as this has become an industry-wide concern to prevent deployment of an occupant restraint device in these situations. The U.S. automobile industry is continually searching for an easy, economical solution, which will prevent the deployment of the passenger side airbag if a rear facing child seat is present.
Another important aspect disclosed in Breed et al. relates to the operation of the cellular communications system in conjunction with the vehicle interior monitoring system. Vehicles can be provided with a standard cellular phone as well as the Global Positioning System (GPS), an automobile navigation or location system with an optional connection to a manned assistance facility. In the event of an accident, the phone may automatically call 911 for emergency assistance and report the exact position of the vehicle. If the vehicle also has a system as described below for monitoring each seat location, the number and perhaps the condition of the occupants could also be reported. In that way, the emergency service (EMS) would know what equipment and how many ambulances to send to the accident site. Moreover, a communication channel can be opened between the vehicle and a monitoring facility/emergency response facility or personnel to determine how badly people are injured, the number of occupants in the vehicle, and to enable directions to be provided to the occupant(s) of the vehicle to assist in any necessary first aid prior to arrival of the emergency assistance personnel.
Communications between a vehicle and a remote assistance facility are also important for the purpose of diagnosing problems with the vehicle and forecasting problems with the vehicle, called prognostics. Motor vehicles contain complex mechanical systems that are monitored and regulated by computer systems such as electronic control units (ECUs) and the like. Such ECUs monitor various components of the vehicle including engine performance, carburation, speed/acceleration control, transmission, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), braking systems, etc. However, vehicles perform such monitoring typically only for the vehicle driver and without communication of any impending results, problems and/or vehicle malfunction to a remote site for trouble-shooting, diagnosis or tracking for data mining.
In the past, systems that provide for remote monitoring did not provide for automated analysis and communication of problems or potential problems and recommendations to the driver. As a result, the vehicle driver or user is often left stranded, or irreparable damage occurs to the vehicle as a result of neglect or driving the vehicle without the user knowing the vehicle is malfunctioning until it is too late, such as low oil level and a malfunctioning warning light, fan belt about to fail, failing radiator hose etc.
In this regard, U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,018 (Scholl et al.) describes a system for relaying information from an off road work site relating to the status of a vehicle to a remote location over a communications data link. The information consists of fault codes generated by sensors and electronic control modules indicating that a failure has occurred rather than forecasting a failure. Bi-directional communications are described in that a request for additional information can be sent to the vehicle from the remote location with the vehicle responding and providing the requested information but no such communication takes place with the vehicle operator and not of an operator of a vehicle traveling on a road.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,754,965 (Hagenbuch) describes an apparatus for diagnosing the state of health of a vehicle and providing the operator of the vehicle with a substantially real-time indication of the efficiency of the vehicle in performing as assigned task with respect to a predetermined goal. A processor in the vehicle monitors sensors that provide information regarding the state of health of the vehicle and the amount of work the vehicle has done. The processor records information that describes events leading up to the occurrence of an anomaly for later analysis. The sensors are also used to prompt the operator to operate the vehicle at optimum efficiency.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,942 (Slifkin et al.) describes a method for monitoring events in vehicles in which electrical outputs representative of events in the vehicle are produced, the characteristics of one event are compared with the characteristics of other events accumulated over a given period of time and departures or variations of a given extent from the other characteristics are determined as an indication of a significant event. A warning is sent in response to the indication, including the position of the vehicle as determined by a global positioning system on the vehicle. For example, for use with a railroad car, a microprocessor responds to outputs of an accelerometer by comparing acceleration characteristics of one impact with accumulated acceleration characteristics of other impacts and determines departures of a given magnitude from the other characteristics as a failure indication which gives rise of a warning.
Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below and unless specifically noted, it is the applicants"" intention that the words and phrases in the specification and claims be given the ordinary and accustomed meaning to those of ordinary skill in the applicable art(s). If the applicant intends any other meaning, he will specifically state he is applying a special meaning to a word or phrase.
Likewise, applicants"" use of the word xe2x80x9cfunctionxe2x80x9d here is not intended to indicate that the applicants seek to invoke the special provisions of 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7112, sixth paragraph, to define their invention. To the contrary, if applicants wish to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7112, sixth paragraph, to define their invention, they will specifically set forth in the claims the phrases xe2x80x9cmeans forxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cstep forxe2x80x9d and a function, without also reciting in that phrase any structure, material or act in support of the function. Moreover, even if applicants invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7112, sixth paragraph, to define their invention; it is the applicants"" intention that their inventions not be limited to the specific structure, material or acts that are described in the preferred embodiments herein. Rather, if applicants claim their inventions by specifically invoking the provisions of 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7112, sixth paragraph, it is nonetheless their intention to cover and include any and all structure, materials or acts that perform the claimed function, along with any and all known or later developed equivalent structures, materials or acts for performing the claimed function.
It is an object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved method and system for obtaining information about occupancy of a vehicle and conveying this information to remotely situated assistance personnel.
It is another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved method and system for obtaining information about occupancy of a vehicle and conveying this information to remotely situated assistance personnel to optimize their response to a crash involving the vehicle and/or enable proper assistance to be rendered to the occupants after the crash.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and system for determining the presence of an object on a particular seat of a motor vehicle and conveying this information over a wireless data link system or cellular phone.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and system for determining the presence of an object on a particular seat of a motor vehicle and using this information to affect the operation of a wireless data link system or cellular phone.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and system for determining the presence of and total number of occupants of a vehicle and, in the event of an accident, transmitting that information, as well as other information such as the condition of the occupants, to a receiver site remote from the vehicle.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved occupant sensor which determines the presence and health state of any occupants in the vehicle by analyzing sounds emanating from the passenger compartment and directing directed such sounds to a remote, manned site for consideration in dispatching response personnel.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved vehicle monitoring system which provides a communications channel between the vehicle (possibly through microphones distributed throughout the vehicle) and a manned assistance facility to enable communications with the occupants after a crash or whenever the occupants are in need of assistance particularly when the communication is initiated from the remote facility in response to a condition that the operator may not knows exists (e.g., if the occupants are lost, then data forming maps as a navigational aid would be transmitted to the vehicle).
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and system for diagnosing components in a vehicle and the operating status of the vehicle and alerting the vehicle""s dealer, or another repair facility, via a telematics link that a component of the vehicle is functioning abnormally and may be in danger of failing.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for obtaining information about a vehicle system and components in the vehicle in conjunction with failure of the component or the vehicle and sending this information to the vehicle manufacturer.
Accordingly, to achieve at least one of these objects, a vehicle comprises an occupant sensing system for determining at least one property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle constituting information about the occupancy of the vehicle and a communications device coupled to the occupant sensing system and arranged to transmit the information about the occupancy of the vehicle. The communications device may comprise a cellular telephone system including an antenna or other similar communication-enabling device.
The occupant sensing system may include a plurality of the same of different sensors, for example, an image-obtaining sensor for obtaining images of the passenger compartment of the vehicle whereby the communications device transmits the images. If a crash sensor is provided for determining when the vehicle experiences a crash, the image-obtaining sensor may be designed to obtain images including the driver of the vehicle with the communications device being coupled to the crash sensor and arranged to transmit images of the passenger compartment just prior to the crash once the crash sensor has determined that the vehicle has experienced a crash, during the crash once the crash sensor has determined that the vehicle has experienced a crash and/or after the crash once the crash sensor has determined that the vehicle has experienced a crash.
The occupant sensing system may also include at least one motion sensor with the communications device being arranged to transmit information about any motion of occupants in the passenger compartment as part of the information about the occupancy of the vehicle. This would help to assess whether the occupants are conscious after a crash and mobile.
The occupant sensing system may also include an arrangement for determining the number of occupants in the vehicle with the communications device being arranged to transmit the number of occupants in the passenger compartment as part of the information about the occupancy of the vehicle. The arrangement may include receivers arranged to receive waves, energy or radiation from all of the seating locations in the passenger compartment and a processor arranged to determine the number of occupants in the passenger compartment from the received waves, energy or radiation. Waves, energy or radiation may be in the form of ultrasonic waves, electromagnetic waves, electric fields, capacitive fields and the like. The arrangement may also include heartbeat sensors, weight sensors associated with seats in the vehicle and/or chemical sensors.
The processor can be arranged to determine the condition of any occupants in the vehicle. When the occupant sensing system comprises receivers arranged to receive waves, energy or radiation from the passenger compartment, the processor can determine the condition of any occupants in the vehicle based on the received waves, energy or radiation. In this case, the communications device transmits the condition of the occupants as part of the information about the occupancy of the vehicle.
In another embodiment, at least one vehicle sensor is provided, each sensing a state of the vehicle or a state of a component of the vehicle. The communications device is coupled, wired or wirelessly, directly or indirectly, to each vehicle sensor and transmits the state of the vehicle or the state of the component of the vehicle.
One or more environment sensors can be provided, each sensing a state of the environment around the vehicle. The communications device is coupled, wired or wirelessly, directly or indirectly, to each environment sensor and transmits information about the environment of the vehicle. The environment sensor may be an optical or other image-obtaining sensor for obtaining images of the environment around the vehicle. The environment sensor can also be a road condition sensor, an ambient temperature sensor, an internal temperature sensor, a clock, and a location sensor for sensing the location of objects around the vehicle such as the sun, lights and other vehicles, a sensor for sensing the presence of rain, snow, sleet and fog, the presence and location of potholes, ice and snow cover, the presence and status of the road and traffic, sensors which obtain images of the environment surrounding the vehicle, blind spot detectors which provides data on the blind spot of the driver, automatic cruise control sensors that can provide images of vehicles in front of the vehicle and radar devices which provide the position of other vehicles and objects relative to the vehicle.
When a crash sensor for determining when the vehicle experiences a crash is coupled to the system in accordance with the invention, the communications device being coupled to the crash sensor and arranged to transmit information about the occupancy of the vehicle upon the crash sensor determining that the vehicle has experienced a crash.
Optionally, a memory unit is coupled to the occupant sensing system and the communications device and receives the information about the occupancy of the vehicle from the occupant sensing system and stores the information. The communications device interrogates the memory unit to obtain the stored information about the occupancy of the vehicle to enable transmission thereof.
A method for monitoring and providing assistance to a vehicle in accordance with the invention comprises the steps of determining at least one property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle constituting information about the occupancy of the vehicle and transmitting the information about the occupancy of the vehicle to a remote location. Additional enhancements of the method include obtaining images of the passenger compartment of the vehicle and transmitting the images of the passenger compartment after the crash. It is possible to determine when the vehicle experiences a crash in which case, images including the driver of the vehicle just prior to the crash are obtained and transmitted once it has determined that the vehicle has experienced a crash.
Determining the property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle may entail determining any motion in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, whereby information about any motion of occupants in the passenger compartment is transmitted as part of the information about the occupancy of the vehicle. In addition to or instead of motion, determining the property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle may entail determining the number of occupants in the passenger compartment, the number of occupants in the passenger compartment being transmitted as part of the information about the occupancy of the vehicle. To this end, the number of occupants in the vehicle can be determined by receiving waves, energy or radiation from all of the seating locations in the passenger compartment and determining the number of occupants in the passenger compartment from the received waves, energy or radiation. The number of occupants in the vehicle can also be determined by arranging at least one heartbeat sensor in the vehicle to detect the presence of heartbeats in the vehicle such that the number of occupants is determinable from the number of detected heartbeats. The number of occupants in the vehicle can also be determined by arranging at least one weight sensor system in the vehicle to detect the weight and/or weight distribution applied to the seats such that the number of occupants is determinable from the detected weight and/or weight distribution. Further, the number of occupants in the vehicle can be determined by arranging at least one temperature sensor to measure temperature in the passenger compartment whereby the number of occupants is determinable from the measured temperature in the passenger compartment. The number of occupants in the vehicle can also be determined by arranging at least one seatbelt buckle switch to provide an indication of the seatbelt being buckled whereby the number of occupants is determinable from the buckled state of the seatbelts. The number of occupants in the vehicle can also be determined by arranging at least one chemical sensor to provide an indication of the presence of a chemical indicative of the presence of an occupant whereby the number of occupants is determinable from the indication of the presence of the chemical indicative of the presence of an occupant.
The condition of any occupants in the vehicle can be determined based on the received waves, energy or radiation, the condition of the occupants being transmitted as part of the information about the occupancy of the vehicle. The number of human occupants can also be determined as the property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle.
The method can also include the steps of sensing a state of the vehicle or a state of a component of the vehicle and transmitting the state of the vehicle or the state of the component of the vehicle. Also, a state of the environment around the vehicle can be sensed and information about the environment of the vehicle transmitted.
When it is determined that the vehicle experiences a crash, information can be transmitted intermediately thereafter. Optionally, a memory unit is provided to receive the information about the occupancy of the vehicle and store the information The memory unit is interrogated, e.g., after a crash, to obtain the stored information about the occupancy of the vehicle to enable transmission thereof.
Another method for monitoring and providing assistance to a vehicle in accordance with the invention comprises the steps of determining at least one property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle constituting information about the occupancy of the vehicle, determining at least one state of the vehicle or of a component of the vehicle constituting information about the operation of the vehicle, and selectively transmitting the information about the occupancy of the vehicle and the information about the operation of the vehicle. Thus, different recipients could receive different information, whatever information is pertinent and relevant to that recipient. Thus, selective transmission of information may entail addressing a transmission of information about the occupancy of the vehicle differently than a transmission of information about the operation of the vehicle.
In another embodiment of this method, images of the passenger compartment of the vehicle are obtained and transmitted after the crash. The images ideally include the driver of the vehicle. The images of the passenger compartment just prior to the crash can be transmitted once it has determined that the vehicle has experienced a crash. This would assist in accident reconstruction and placement of fault and liability.
The determination of a property or characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle may entail determining any motion in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, determining the number of occupants in the passenger compartment and/or determining the number of human occupants in the passenger compartment.
The determination of the number of occupants in the vehicle may be performed in a variety of ways. For example, by receiving waves, energy or radiation from all of the seating locations in the passenger compartment and determining the number of occupants in the passenger compartment from the received waves, energy or radiation, by arranging at least one heartbeat sensor in the vehicle to detect the presence of heartbeats in the vehicle such that the number of occupants is determinable from the number of detected heartbeats, by arranging at least one weight sensor system in the vehicle to detect the weight and/or weight distribution applied to the seats such that the number of occupants is determinable from the detected weight and/or weight distribution, by arranging at least one temperature sensor to measure temperature in the passenger compartment whereby the number of occupants is determinable from the measured temperature in the passenger compartment, by arranging at least one seatbelt buckle switch to provide an indication of the seatbelt being buckled whereby the number of occupants is determinable from the buckled state of the seatbelts, and/or by arranging at least one chemical sensor to provide an indication of the presence of a chemical indicative of the presence of an occupant whereby the number of occupants is determinable from the indication of the presence of the chemical indicative of the presence of an occupant.
The determination of a property of characteristic of occupancy of the vehicle may entail determining the condition of any occupants in the vehicle based on the received waves, energy or radiation, the condition of the occupants being transmitted as part of the information about the occupancy of the vehicle.
The method can also include the steps of sensing a state of the vehicle or a state of a component of the vehicle and transmitting the state of the vehicle or the state of the component of the vehicle. Also, a state of the environment around the vehicle can be sensed and information about the environment of the vehicle transmitted.
When it is determined that the vehicle experiences a crash, information can be transmitted immediately thereafter. Optionally, a memory unit is provided to receive the information about the occupancy of the vehicle and store the information. The memory unit is interrogated, e.g., after a crash, to obtain the stored information about the occupancy of the vehicle to enable transmission thereof.